You Left Me
by Gracii-D4R
Summary: Dimitri didn't get turned but he left Rose to take Tasha up on her offer. 4 years later things get complicated when he returns and finds many things have changed, including an addition to the group that looks a lot like him *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: Hey guys this is my first story so please be nice! Give it a read and tell me what you think.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"Ava, come on, its time to get up," I said giving my tiny little girl a nudge.

"No," she mumbled, pulling her duvet over her head.

"Mommy's going to be late for work if you don't get up." I told her.

She peaked out from under her duvet, her face set in a frown, "I don't want to," she pouted.

"Look, you need to get up, get dressed, have breakfast and then I've got to get you to nursery, so please don't be difficult." I said.

She gave me one last miserable look then threw herself out of bed and stomped out of her bedroom. I couldn't help but smile, she was like me in so many ways it was unbelievable, you could see her father in her too. She had brown curls that fell to her shoulders, the same brown _his _hair had been and the brown eyes that melted your heart. Her personality was more like me, stubborn, argumentative but every now and then she would do something that would remind me of Dimitri and I would hold back tears.

It had been almost 4 years since I'd last seen him. After what happened in the cabin and the Strigoi attack on the school Dimitri had decided to take Tasha Ozera up on her offer and left to be her guardian. He didn't even say goodbye. It was a few weeks after that I had found out I was pregnant. It had been a shock to say the least. When I eventually built up the courage to tell everyone I'd lied and told them it was just a random Moroi who I'd met. Of course Adrian knew the truth. He'd helped me through all the tough times not telling anyone the truth. I wished over and over that I could love him like he loved me but it was no good, the only man I could ever love had left me alone and broken.

Ava was sitting on the couch when I got downstairs, her little arms were folded over her chest. I knelt in front of her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, but we've got a busy day today, its Auntie Lissa's wedding soon so we are going to have dinner and help her make plans," her face didn't change, "Well, you were _meant_ to be trying on your dress today," her eyes widened in excitement, "but if you don't want to..."

She jumped up clapping her little hands together and smiling, "I do, I do," she shouted.

"Then you'd better go and get dressed so we won't be late. Quick!" I said and she ran up the stairs looking incredibly cute in her pink night gown.

We were out of the house 20 minutes later. Ava holding my hand and swinging my arm in excitement as she told me what she wanted her dress to look like. When we arrived at the nursery gate I crouched down so I could look Ava in her beautiful eyes.

"So, I will be here to pick you up at 4, then we will go to see Auntie Lissa. Be good, okay?" I smiled at her.

"I will Mommy, I promise." She said throwing her tiny arms around my neck. I held her close for a moment then she pulled away and ran towards her friends.

I watched her for a few minutes then walked toward the guardian parts of court. Lissa didn't need me 24/7 so I was one of the many guardians that patrolled the boarders and supervised large groups of Moroi.

The day passed without event and before I knew it the time came to pick Ava up from nursery. She was waiting eagerly, bouncing on her tiptoes, as soon as she saw me she ran to my side, grabbing my hand and tugging me in the direction of Lissa's place.

"Come on Mommy," she whined as she pulled me along.

Ava threw herself into Lissa's arms as soon as we walked through the front door, "What a welcome," Lissa said, "I've missed you princess."

"Can I have my dress now Auntie Lissa?" Ava asked.

"Ava, you could at least say hello." I muttered.

Lissa frowned at me, "Don't be silly Rose," she looked at Ava, "Your dress is in my room ready for you to try on." she said placing a kiss on Ava's forehead and put her down. In a flash Ava was gone. "Wow, she really is excited!" Lissa laughed, "I'd better go help her." she said following Ava.

"Don't you have to try your dress on Fireboy?" I said, sitting down on the couch next to Christian.

"Nah, I don't want Lissa to see it, she might get jealous," he smiled, "Why aren't you in there helping Lissa? I thought you girls loved this sort of thing."

"I used to, Lissa has taken me on so many shopping trips I don't think I'll ever enjoy spending money again," he looked at me in disbelief, "Okay, I'll rephrase that, I don't think I'll ever enjoy spending money _with Lissa_ again."

He laughed at me, "Yeah, she is going a bit over the top."

"Don't let her hear you say that, she'll have you killed," I paused, "On second thoughts say it a bit louder!"

"Ha-ha, you're in a very good mood today Rose, I'm not sure I like it," Christian said turning back to the TV.

"Don't lie, you enjoy it really." I told him just as Ava came bounding out of Lissa's room. She was wearing a purple dress that fell just below her knees. It had 3 flowers pinned into the waist and another flower on a matching headband Ava was wearing. She had a pair of purple shoes to match.

"Look Mommy," she said spinning around on the spot, the dress fanned out around her. I dragged my eyes off her and looked at Lissa.

"Oh God, you don't like it do you? I thought the colour would look cute with her hair," she said, looking scared. All I could is hug her, "So...you do like it?" she asked, pulling away and looking me in the eye.

"Of course I do, she looks gorgeous." I answered as Ava jumped into my arms, "What do you think Ava? Do you like the dress Auntie Lissa chose?"

"I do, I do, I look like a _real_ princess now," she said.

Christian made his way over and took Ava from me, "You always look like a princess," he told her and she smiled. Christian loved Ava, like seriously _loved _her. He would do anything she asked, which of course she knew and used to her advantage whenever she could. Though I told her off for it I was secretly proud. She really was my daughter.

"Can I wear it to nursery, Mommy?" she asked me.

"No, you don't want to get it messy, do you?" I said just as there was a knock at the door. Lissa went to answer it.

Ava looked at Christian, "Uncle Chrissie, can I wear it please?"

Christian looked uncomfortable, "Er, Maybe we could get you a different dress," he said.

"Oi, Fireboy, don't tell her that, she can't have everything she wants," I muttered. Ava looked like she was about to cry. We were still arguing when Lissa walked back into the room and she wasn't alone. Tasha Ozera followed her in, my heart picked up beating badly. If _she_ was here then that meant...

"Hello, Rose," said a voice I didn't think I could ever forget as Dimitri Belikov walked into the room.

* * *

**Authors note: Do what do you think? Should i continue? Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: So thanks so much for the reviews. If anyone has any ideas for this story that they want to put forward just let me know. Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Sorry they are so short! I don't have much time what with work and everything! So give it a read and tell me what you think.**

**I don't own the characters! Wish I did!**

**Chapter 2**

My breath caught in my throat as I took him in. He was as sexy as ever, all 6ft of him. His hair fell loose at his muscular shoulders, his brown eyes were locked on mine and his lips wore one of his half smiles. I stood frozen to the spot when Tasha pulled me into a hug. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to punch her.

"Rose, it's so good to see you, goodness you've changed," she said moving to stand in front of Christian. That's when I remembered who he had in his arms. This was not good. Ava buried her face in Christians shoulder, "Who's this then?" she said, playing with Ava's hair. I took her out of Christians arms.

"She's shy," I replied icily.

"You took up a child minding job Rose?" she laughed.

I started to panic and couldn't think of what to say. Lissa stepped forward, "Didn't you know? This is Ava, Rose's daughter." Dimitri caught my eyes a look of shock and confusion on his face. _Oh this was so not good._

"Wow, Rose, you really have changed," Tasha smiled.

"I should go," I said quickly. Lissa looked surprised.

"I thought you were staying for dinner?" she asked.

"Yeah, well, Ava's had a long day and I've got some paper work to do." I told her heading towards the door.

"Hang on, doesn't she need to change out of that dress?" Lissa said.

"Oh, right, yeah," I muttered taking Ava into Lissa's room. As soon as I had put her down I started pulling off her shoes and getting the dress off.

"Mommy, why can't we stay?" Ava whined.

"Not now Ava please, I've had a busy day," I answered pulling her little shirt over her head. I was putting her socks on when the door opened and Dimitri walked in, "Ava why don't you go and get Uncle Chrissie to help you with your shoes? Mommy just wants to talk to an old friend" I told her and she ran out.

"You've changed Roza," Dimitri said in his sexy accent. The old nickname sent shivers down my spine.

"Yeah, you too," I breathed, though he hadn't really changed at all.

"I don't know what to say, your daughter is beautiful, just like you," he whispered.

I closed my eyes breathing heavily, "Don't say that," I said opening my eyes, "You can't say things like that to me, not after what you did." My voice was shaky.

"I am truly sorry Roza, I never meant to cause you any pain. I did what I thought was best." he told me.

"_What you thought was best?"_ I hissed, trying to stay in control, "How was leaving me for the best?" he opened his mouth to speak but I held up a hand to stop him, "I don't want to hear it, I just want to move on and I don't want to speak about any of this again. You should get back to Tasha. I'm sure she's wondering where you are," I muttered.

"Rose, I just wanted to say I'm sorry, I did a lot of things I wish I could change-"

"Dimitri, please just don't OK?" I whispered cutting him off. He walked to the door, stopped and turned back to me.

"Where is Ava's father?" he asked suddenly.

I tried to keep my face calm, "He left. It was no big deal," I said. His face told me he didn't know that he was Ava's father. How would he? Everyone knew a dhampir could not have a child with another dhampir. Well everyone except me and Adrian. We had discussed it many times and came to the conclusion it was something to do with me being shadow kissed.

"He shouldn't have left you," Dimitri said finally before leaving.

I walked home in a daze. Going over Dimitri's words in my head, _"He Shouldn't have left you," _What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did it mean that he regretted leaving me? No, I wasn't going to get my hopes up, and why should I care if he did regret what he did, he broke my heart I could never forgive him. When we got home I gave Ava a quick bath, read her a story then put her to bed. She fell asleep almost instantly for which I was grateful. I called Adrian and he came over. We both sat at the table as I explained what had happened at Lissa's.

"Well, that's a bit unlucky isn't it?" He said, smirking.

"This isn't funny Adrian. What if he guesses? Or someone else does? They look so alike." I told him.

"Rose, just chill for a second OK? No one is going to guess. They only look alike to you because you know Dimitri is her father," he took my hand, "I promised to keep it a secret, and I will, but maybe if it's going to make you so nervous you should just tell him yourself,"

I stared at him in amazement, "You are joking right? He left me, for Tasha, without even saying goodbye. Right after I _slept _with him. Why should I trust him now. He ruined my life," I finished angrily.

"He didn't ruin your life. You got Ava out of it didn't you?" he argued.

"Yeah, and I had to deal with her on my own," I argued back.

"You weren't on your own Rose," Adrian said, suddenly making me feel guilty. He loved me and I was hurting him so much.

"I know, I'm sorry Adrian," I whispered.

"It's fine. Do you want me to stay tonight? I could take Ava somewhere tomorrow?" he asked.

"She'd like that," I said smiling at him. He walked towards the spare room, "Adrian-" he turned back, "I really am grateful for everything you've done for me and Ava," he nodded at me then walked out.

I was laying in bed later feeling guilty for not being able to love Adrian back. A part of me also felt horrible for lying to Dimitri and everyone else about Ava. When I had found out I was pregnant I thought I would have to lie, not so people wouldn't find out about me and Dimitri, though that was part of it, but so I wouldn't have to talk about him and people wouldn't know he'd left me after he'd said he loved me. It had hurt so much back then, hell, it still hurts, but now, I didn't know if I could go on lying if I had to face him everyday.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, if not let me know why and I'll try do better next time.**

**Love Gracii xxxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note:**** Hey guys thanks for the reviews. I've just finished this on my lunch break so I hope it's OK! Have a read and tell me what ya think. x**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

When I woke up the next morning I felt like I'd hardly slept. I quickly changed into my work out clothes and left, leaving Ava and Adrian asleep. I ran for an hour then made my way back home. Adrian and Ava were sat at the table eating when I walked in.

I kissed Ava on the cheek, "Morning princess." I turned to Adrian, "Watch her while I take a shower,"

"I don't need to be watched, I'm not a baby Mommy," Ava said frowning.

I laughed, "I know you're not. How about you watch Adrian while I take a shower?"

"Okay Mommy, I will," she said turning to face Adrian with a fierce stare. I laughed again and went to shower. When I walked back in to the Kitchen Ava was still staring at Adrian. I picked her up.

"So little miss, what do you want to do today? Uncle Adrian said he would take you _anywhere _you like," I told her.

"Are you coming too?" She asked. There was a knock at the door.

"Can you get the door Adrian?" I said, then turning back to Ava, "I can't today but maybe another time," her face fell, "Don't be sad, I promise I will take you out soon," she frowned at me, "Come on Ava, give me a smile."

"No," she snapped.

"Don't make me make you," she looked confused. I put her down on the sofa and started tickling her. She squirmed and screeched loudly.

"Mo-Mommy, no!" she said giggling madly. Adrian walked back into the lounge with a funny look on his face.

"You've got some visitors," he said.

"Who?" I asked just as Lissa, Christian, Tasha and Dimitri walked in, "Oh,"

"What a welcome, jeez Rose, you could at least pretend to be pleased to see us," she said, she added through the bond, _"What's wrong with you?"_

I shook my head at her, "I just wasn't expecting you that's all," I replied.

"Well we were all going out to do some shopping and get some lunch and thought you, Ava and Adrian might want to come," Tasha said.

"Oh, well, I'm working so I can't and Adrian is taking Ava out for the day," I told them.

Adrian looked at me, "I think it would be a lot more fun if we went with everyone else" he said.

"What? I-I thought you were going out with Ava?" I said giving him a threatening look.

"Well let's ask Ava what she wants to do?" he picked Ava up, " Do you want to come out with me on my own or go with everyone and do some shopping?"

"Shopping!" she screamed.

"Excellent," Tasha said clapping her hands together, "Lets find you a coat." she said looking around.

"I'll get it," I muttered, grabbing Ava's coat off a counter in the kitchen. I started putting it on her when Tasha walked forward.

"Why don't you let me do that? You don't want to be late for work," she suggested.

"No thanks, I'll be fine," I snapped. Lissa frowned at me. She had never understood why I didn't like Tasha very much, "Adrian, I will hold you personally responsible if my daughter is hurt or damaged in anyway when you bring her home."

He laughed, "Rose, you really need to start trusting me,"

"Okay then, is everybody ready?" Lissa asked.

Dimitri looked up, "I was going to see if Rose needed any extra guardians on hand. Shopping isn't really my thing," he spoke directly to Tasha.

"Are you sure? We could do something else," She said.

"No, go and have a good time, I will see you when you get back," he replied.

"OK then," she smiled and they all left, leaving me and Dimitri alone.

"I don't think there's much for you to do really," I told him.

"I don't mind, anything you need doing, I'll do it Roza." he said, I sensed a double meaning to his words.

"You should go catch up with Tasha, you shouldn't leave her," I mumbled and he walked up to me. I tried to get away but my back hit the wall.

"Roza, you're different," Dimitri whispered, stroking my cheek with the back of his hand.

"So you say. Stop it, please, we can't do this," I chocked out.

His hand snaked into my hair and he pulled me closer. His warm lips brushed mine and before I could stop myself I was kissing him back. I opened my mouth against his and his tongue found mine. He moved his other hand to my hip and held me there, it was how it used to be, before all the pain and loneliness, before Ava.

That's when it hit me. He had left me with her. Left me to fight on my own. Left me for Tasha. _Tasha. _This was wrong. I wasn't like this any more I'd changed when he'd left me, when I'd had my baby girl.

I shoved my hands onto his chest and pushed him away, "Stop it, you can't just kiss me and expect that it will make everything okay, it doesn't work that way," I shouted, "You left me, for Tasha, I needed you more than ever and you left me. How could you do that? You said you loved me," I couldn't stop the tears that fell from my eyes.

"I did love you, I still do Roza, I thought it was for the best, you were young you had your whole life ahead of you, I didn't want you to have to give up anything for me," he paused to catch his breath, "The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you but I thought I was doing the right thing."

"How was it the right thing to do? I never felt like I was giving anything up for you, you were all I wanted, all I needed, but then you left without telling me why and I had to hear it from someone else that you had ran off with Tasha Ozera to take her up on her offer of a family," I said angrily, tears still flowing freely.

He frowned, "That's not why I left you," he said simply.

"Don't lie to me. You could have chosen anyone if alls you wanted to do was be a guardian, you chose her because she would give you something others wouldn't," I snapped.

"I chose her because it was quickest, she had already offered me a job and she was my friend. I'm not going to lie, I had hoped she would distract me from you but she never could, my heart will always be yours Roza," he whispered.

"I don't think Tasha would be very happy about that," I said.

"I've told you, Tasha and I are just friends, she knows that, it has always been that way between us."

"That doesn't change anything, you still left," I mumbled, "I'm late for work, you can do whatever you like, go patrol the boarders or something."

"Roza, please-"

"Stop calling me that," I snapped. I saw a look of pain flash across his face and he looked like he was going to say something, but then it changed and he put on his guardian face, portraying no emotion.

"Have a nice day, Guardian Hathaway," he said before he left.

I walked to the guardian offices, my mood lower than it had been in ages. The darkness seemed to eat me up inside. Ava had been a sort of medicine against the darkness I took from Lissa, it was hard to be miserable when she was around, but right now she wasn't here and I couldn't stop going over Dimitri's words. Did he really still love me? Were him and Tasha just friends? Why did I even care? He dumped me, when I needed him the most. He didn't deserve anything from me. He was a coward, all that crap about leaving because it was the best thing to do. The best for who? It definitely wasn't best for me. It broke me and I hadn't been the same since, I didn't think I'd ever be the same again.

The day passed in a daze and my mood didn't improve. I took it out on people who didn't deserve it. The person I was really angry at was myself. I should be over all this by now, it's been 4 years and yet still Dimitri makes me crazy.

I was making dinner, OK not really I had ordered take out, when Lissa, Tasha and Ava walked in. Ava jumped into my arms and I gave her a big kiss on the cheek. She looked shattered.

"Hey Rose, look what Tasha got you," Lissa said, taking Ava out of my arms as Tasha held out a small box. I took it from her.

"You really didn't have to get me anything," I muttered embarrassed.

"Don't be silly, I didn't want you to feel left out," she replied with a smile. God, why did she have to be so darn nice? It made it hard to hate her. Not impossible though. I opened the small box to reveal a pair of rose earrings. I had to admit, they were kind of pretty.

"Thanks," I said, "They're really nice,"

Her smile grew, "I knew you'd like them, Lissa said you liked things with roses on them,"

I turned on Lissa. She knew I didn't like rose things, "_Sorry, I forgot," _she said through the bond. Like hell she did.

"So..." I breathed, this was so awkward, "What are you two up to tonight?" I asked.

Lissa looked excited, "Wedding plans, do you want to help?" she pleaded.

"Er, no, Ava needs to go to bed," I replied, looking at Ava who was already dozing on Lissa shoulder.

Lissa looked at Tasha, "How about you?"

"No, sorry, I've got plans with Dimitri," she said with twinkling eyes.

"Why do you look so happy about it?" Lissa asked.

"Well, I was just thinking that hopefully soon enough Ava will have a playmate." she claimed. My heart stopped. Did she mean what I thought she meant? I could feel my self-control beginning to slip. I was going to hit her. No I was going to _kill _her. Dimitri had lied to me. He and Tasha weren't just friend. They were going to have a baby. They were going to be a proper family, something me and Ava would never have. It was all her fault. Tasha had taken everything from me. The man I loved. The father of my child. She would get the family I always wanted.

"I think you should go," I growled, Tasha looked confused.

"I-What? Did I say something wrong?" she commented.

"No," I lied, "It's just I need to get Ava to bed and I-I just don't feel to good." That was true, I was going to be sick.

"Oh, well, okay then," she said as she turned to leave, "I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, I guess." I nearly added _"If I have to"_. Lissa didn't move. Her gaze was fixed on me.

"I'll see you tomorrow Tasha, I'm going to stay and make sure Rose is okay," she stated. _Oh was I in for it now. _Tasha left, still looking confused. Lissa waited until we had heard the door slam before she spoke.

"OK, Rose. What the hell is going on?" she asked.

* * *

**Authors Note: ****So what does everyone think? Good? Bad? Let me know :)**

**Gracii xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note****: Thanks for the reviews, It puts a big smile on my face everytime i read them! Ive been writing new chapters since 7 this morning! Anyways, hope you like the new chapter, I know it's not very long but i am trying to make them longer, have a read and tell me what you think. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

I didn't know what to say. So I didn't say anything. Instead I took Ava out of her arms and walked slowly through to her bedroom. I changed her into her night dress and put her in bed. She didn't wake up. I took a deep breath and walked back into the lounge. Lissa was sat on the couch arms across her chest.

"I'm not going anywhere Rose so you might as well start talking," she told me.

I started tidying away Ava's toys, "There's nothing to talk about Liss," I lied.

She raised her eyebrows at me, "You can't lie to me. I've known you for years, I know when you're not being straight with me," she said standing up and walking over to me, "Just tell me what's going on."

"_Nothing_ is going on Lissa okay? So please just drop it?" I begged.

"Why are you lying? I don't understand. Why do you hate Tasha so much? I mean she's only ever been nice to you. What have you got against her?" she asked.

"I haven't got anything against her. I'm just tired, that's all," I muttered, trying not to look guilty.

"Cut the crap Rose. You've been acting really weird since Tasha turned up and you were weird with her before. I'm your best friend. If there's something going on you can talk to me about it, you can trust me," she stated, taking my hand. I couldn't stop the tears that prickled my eyes.

"I can't," I whispered, not looking her in the eye.

"Please Rose, you're scaring me, what is so bad that you can't tell me? What is going on with you and Tasha? What has she done to make you hate her so much?"

"_Because she's ruined my life,"_ I finally said, unable to hold it in any longer. Tears trickled down my cheeks. "She took the _one_ thing I needed more than anything and I _hate_ her for it," I snapped.

Lissa frowned, "Wh-What are you talking about? She didn't take anyth-" she paused, I saw everything clicking into place in her head, the way me and Dimitri were around each other, the way I had acted after he'd left, "_Y-You and Dimitri?" _She stuttered, "Since when? How did it start? Was it just you or was it both of you?"

"I don't want to talk about it. It was ages ago and I just want to forget about it," I replied, though inside I knew there was no chance I could ever forget what happened between me and Dimitri. Ava would be a constant reminder.

"But I don't understand, how could he leave you if you were together?" she asked, and I cringed. I had asked myself the same question over and over and I could only ever come up with one answer, that he never loved me in the first place.

"I said I don't want to talk about it," I muttered turning towards the kitchen. She followed of course.

"Well that's just too bad. I want some answers. When did it start?" she asked.

I looked her in the eye. She was my best friend. Why shouldn't I tell her? I'd kept it a secret for so long and it hadn't done me any good yet, "It was a little while after we got back to St. Vladimir's," I revealed.

Her eyes widened, "_That_ long? Why didn't you tell me Rose?" she asked and I could feel that she was hurt through the bond.

"I didn't tell anyone, I didn't want him to get in trouble," I told her.

"You know I wouldn't tell anyone," she argued.

"I'm telling you now aren't I?" I replied.

"You're not telling me much. So why did he leave?" she asked, frowning.

"I-I don't know," a few more tears escaped and Lissa's face softened.

"I'm sorry Rose, I can't believe you had to go through all of that on your own," she whispered pulling me into a hug.

"It's not your fault, I wish I could have told you back then, I was just so embarrassed," I admitted, suddenly feeling weak.

"Embarrassed? What have you got to be embarrassed about?" she asked, pulling out of the hug.

"Oh come on Liss, I sleep with a guy for the first time and he-"

"_You What?_" Lissa almost screamed, "You and Dimitri-_did it_?" she said sounding like a little kid afraid to say the actual word.

"I left that part out before didn't I?" I said cringing. _Oh crap._

"When did this happen?" she demanded.

"Er, I-" I fished around for something else to say.

"Rose," she warned.

"It was about 24 hours before he left okay? He slept with me and then he left without even a word to me," I cried.

"Oh," was all Lissa said. She kept quiet while I threw out all the uneaten food still in the kitchen, leaning gracefully against the dining table. When the kitchen was clean I stood opposite her, wondering when she would leave me alone to mope at how pathetic my life was, "One thing I don't understand," she revealed after a while, "is how Ava happened?"

_Shit, I was hoping this wouldn't come up, _"I don't know what you mean," I muttered, playing dumb.

"Well, if you were with Dimitri, why did you sleep with a Moroi?" she asked.

"Well, it was af-after he left and I-I was angry and, um, upset and I wanted to, I don't know, get back at him," I stuttered.

"You're lying," she stated. In her head I saw her trying to piece everything together, then it clicked, "Dimitri is her father, isn't he?" she questioned.

"No, of course he isn't, that's impossible," I denied, trying to get away from her but she blocked my path.

"It all fits, he left and a few weeks later you find out you're pregnant. All that crap about a Moroi never made any sense, you always got angry if anyone asked you about it and nothing is impossible when you're involved, " she pointed out.

"It's not true okay? Dimitri left, I got angry so I tried to get back at him," I snapped.

"You aren't like that Rose. He changed you. You would never have done something like that. Does he know? About Ava?" she asked.

I thought about denying it, but I knew it was no good now, Lissa wasn't going to let this drop. She knew she was right, "No, and you can't tell him," I whispered.

"Rose! You need to tell him. He deserves to know," she scolded.

That pissed me off, "_He deserves to know?_ You are kidding me right? He doesn't _deserve_ anything from me. He left me," I argued.

"Yes, but, he's her father. You can't keep that from him, or her," she reasoned.

"You don't understand. He has no right. What if he takes her from me? Or what if he gets to know her and then leaves with Tasha again. I can't do that to her. I know how it feels and I won't put her through that," I vowed.

"Come on Rose, we both know Dimitri's not like that." Lissa replied.

"That's exactly what he's like. He's left before, he can do it again, he will do it again," I told her.

"You're not going to convince me. You need to tell him. If you don't, I will." she stated.

I stared at her in disbelief, "You-you'd do that to me?" I asked.

"Don't be like that. You need to understand that it's the best thing to do," she said.

"That's crap. How would you know what's best for _my_ daughter? This has nothing to do with you," I snapped angrily.

"Rose, you know what it's like to grow up not knowing who your father is. Do you really want Ava to feel like that?" she questioned.

"I've done fine without a father. I can't let him take her. She's mine. I've looked after her on my own since she was born. He doesn't deserve to be in her life," I said quietly.

"What do you mean _take her_? Why would he take her?" Lissa asked confused.

"I don't want him playing happy families with Tasha and my daughter. Besides from what she said, they'll soon have a baby of their own to look after," I muttered. The thought of Tasha's words made me feel sick.

"You still need to tell him," Lissa told me.

"You're not getting what I'm saying. I'm not telling him anything. I don't want Ava to get hurt which is exactly what will happen if he gets to know her," I replied.

"Rose-"

"No Liss, I can't talk about this any more. I've made up my mind. I'm not telling Dimitri, and if you do, then that's it between us. You told me I could trust you," I reminded her.

She frowned, "You can, but this is different Rose, keeping quiet isn't going to end well,"

"Please," I begged as new tears tricked down my cheeks, "Please Liss. I can't do this any more. I've tried so hard to forget about him. It almost destroyed me the first time he left, I can't do it again, I just can't. It's too hard. I can't have him in my life, please," I saw Lissa falter, she finally understood what it had been like when he'd left me.

"Rose?" she whispered, eyes full of concern, and I broke down. All the pain and anger I had held in since Dimitri had left broke free. I couldn't stop the sobs that built. Lissa pulled me into a hug and I buried my face in her shoulder. I couldn't get control of myself. The tears continued to spill from my eyes, my breath caught in my throat and my heart felt like it would never be whole again. The pain of everything was too much and I just wanted it to stop, I _needed_ it to stop. Wave after wave of pain washed over me and eventually I didn't resurface.

* * *

**Authors Note****: So come on guys tell me what you think, it only takes a sec and i'll love you for ever! **

**Gracii xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

****

****

**Authors Note****: So here's the next chapter guys, hope you enjoy it, it's a bit longer than the others, I kind of got a bit carried away! Thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming. xx**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

I opened my eyes confused. When had I closed them? Looking around I realised I was in my bedroom. I looked at my alarm clock.

_9:15? Shit._ I was so late. I jumped out of bed pulling on some clean clothes. I still felt exhausted. My eyes and throat ached. Before I left my room I looked in the mirror. _Oh god I looked awful. _My eyes were bloodshot and puffy. _Great._ When I got in the kitchen I could smell food. Good food. Lissa stood by the table.

"Hey, I-er-thought you might be hungry," she said kindly, pointing to the pancakes on the table.

I gave her a small smile, "Liss, I'm sorry about last night, I don't really know what all that was about," I admitted.

"Don't be silly, I just wish you had told me before. I've never seen you like that before. It scared me," she replied, "About what I said-"

"I'm sorry Liss, I still can't tell him," I insisted.

"I'm not going to tell him either. I still think it would be better if he knew," she paused looking at my face, "Not for him, but for Ava. Rose one day you're going to have to explain where her father is and then what are you going to say? You resent your own Mom for not telling you who your father is, what are you going to do if Ava feels that way about you?" she asked.

"I'll tell her when she's old enough, but right now she's just a baby. How would she ever understand?" I replied.

"But then Dimitri has missed out on her childhood. I know how hard it is for you Rose, I mean, I saw how you were last night, but do you really hate Dimitri enough that you'd do that to him? Would you really stop him seeing his daughter just to get back at him?" Lissa said.

"I'm not doing it to get back at him, I just need some time to think. I can't do this now, I'm already late for work and I haven't even got Ava up yet," I admitted.

"I called a friend, asked him to cover for you, I thought you could do with a day off. Ava would love to spend the day with you," she told me as she picked up her coat.

"Thanks, for everything," I said giving her a hug.

"What are best friends for?" she smiled and I walked her to the door. She placed a hand on the door just before I closed it, "Rose?" she asked.

"Yeah?" I said.

"If you ever need me, for anything, just call, okay? I don't want last night to happen again. You were in so much pain, it killed me to see you like that." she said with a frown.

"I will, don't worry about me. I'll be fine," I promised, and she left. I walked into Ava's room.

"Ava? It's time to get up," I said, pulling the duvet back from her face. Her eyes opened slowly.

"I don't want to," she whined.

"Oh, well, it looks like I'm going to have to find someone else to spend my day off with," I announced.

She sat up, "Mommy, can we play?" then her eyes opened wider, "No-I want to learn to fight,"

"Well, I can definitely teach you to fight," I told her, grabbing some clothes from her closet that she could fight in, "If you get dressed and have some breakfast we can go and train,"

I don't think I'd ever seen her move so fast, 10 minutes later we left the house. Ava ran in front while I was a few steps back pretending I couldn't catch her. I was impressed, she made it half way to the gym, when I noticed her start to get tired I picked up my pace and grabbed her, running towards the gym while she giggled. I put her back down just outside the gym and she ran through the door I followed her.

"So," I said as soon as I walked in, "What do you want to learn?"

"Someone's here Mommy," Ava said pointing ahead. My head snapped up and for the first time I realised we weren't alone. Dimitri stood over the other side of the gym.

"Oh," I muttered, "I didn't realise there was anyone in here, er, we'll come back. Come on Ava."

"No, Mommy I want to fight," she argued.

"Ava," I warned.

"It's fine, I don't mind sharing," Dimitri said, taking a few steps forwards.

"I don't want to interrupt your training," I told him taking Ava's hand. She pulled away and ran up to Dimitri, "Ava!"

She looked up at him, "Will you teach me to fight?" she asked.

"Er," he looked at me and then crouched down to look at Ava, "I think you Mommy wants to do that," he told her.

"But she's going to make us go home," Ava pouted.

"No, we can stay if you want to," I replied, surprising myself. Today was about making Ava happy. Her eyes lit up.

"Really?" she asked and I nodded, she turned back to Dimitri, "Can you help too?"

"Ava, I'm sure Dimitri is busy-"

"No," he interrupted, "I'd love to help," he said smiling at Ava. _Shit._

"Mommy, show me how you fight. Fight him," she ordered pointing at Dimitri. _Double shit._

"I don't know Ava-"

"What is it Rose? You scared you might lose?" Dimitri teased, with a half a smile.

"No. Fine I'll fight you, but be prepared to lose in front of an audience," I replied.

Ava went to sit on one of the benches at the side of the room as me and Dimitri got into fighting stances. We circled each other for a few seconds until Dimitri's fist shot out towards my left side, I dodged and managed to jab him in the ribs before he could stop me.

"Nicely done Roza," he commented, lunging again and hitting my right arm this time.

"I said don't call me Roza," I growled, aiming a kick for his thigh. He saw my move and deflected it with his arm. I received another blow to the shoulder.

"You need to concentrate," he told me, as I punched him in the stomach.

"Yeah?" I said with a smile, "So do you," I landed a few more blows.

Dimitri fist shot out and hit me in the chest. I gasped and he managed to get in another hit. _God was I pissed now. _He blocked my next hit.

"You're still not concentrating," he noted.

"You aren't my teacher any more, Comrade, so shut up," I grunted, sustaining another hit.

"Roza, I'm sorry," he said suddenly letting his guard down, "I never meant to hurt you, I love you," Anger built inside me and I pulled my fist back, not really aiming I lurched forward, with as much force as I could manage, and connected with his face. I had caught him by surprise, he stumbled backwards and didn't have time to right himself before he fell to the ground. _Oops._

"Mommy!" Ava shouted, running over to us, "You're not allowed to hit someone's face," she scolded.

"Yes, you are," I replied innocently.

"No, you're not," she argued.

"Who told you that?" I asked frowning.

She looked at me like I was crazy, "You did," she told me. _Darn, I knew teaching her rules was a bad idea. _She surprised me by kneeling down next to Dimitri and placing a small hand on his face. She never even spoke to strangers, let alone touched them. Dimitri smiled at her. It was one of his rare full smiles and she smiled back. She pulled him to his feet. He met my eyes and I blushed.

"Er, yeah sorry, I got a bit carried away," I muttered.

"_A bit?_ You nearly knocked me out," he laughed, "You've definitely improved,"

"Thanks," I said, turning to Ava, "Maybe we should call it a day,"

"No, I haven't done fighting yet," Ava demanded.

So we taught her some simple moves. I almost forgot how angry I was at Dimitri. Almost, but not quite. After nearly an hour Ava was worn out.

"Come on," I said picking her up, "Lets go and get some dinner,"

"Can Dimitri come?" Ava asked, resting her head on my shoulder.

"I don't think so, I'm sure he has plans," I hoped.

Dimitri looked at me, "I don't have to come if you don't want me to," he said to me.

"Please Mommy?" Ava begged.

"Well if he doesn't have anything better to do," I replied and Ava smiled at me. She reached towards Dimitri. _Shit, I wasn't expecting that._ He looked at me, silently asking permission, I don't do anything for a few seconds then, seeing no other option I passed her to him, "So...where do you want to eat?" I asked him.

"I don't mind, anywhere is fine with me," he said.

"Er, right, well we can just walk for a bit, I'm sure we'll find somewhere," I stammered. We left the gym, Ava still in Dimitri's arms. We had walked in silence for 10 minutes when I noticed Ava was asleep on Dimitri's shoulder, "Oh, I should probably get her home," I noted, coming to a stop and holding out my hands.

"I can carry her home, I don't want to wake her up," he told me, walking in the direction of my place, I followed silently. A few more minutes passed before I spoke again.

"Tasha told me your good news," I revealed.

He frowned, "What news would that be then?"

"She said you were going to have a baby soon enough, congratulations," I said sarcastically.

"What? We aren't having a baby. We've never even talked about children, it's not like that between us," he stated.

"Maybe you should tell her that because that's not what she told me and Lissa last night," I whispered, trying not to sound jealous.

"Rose, I told you, I could never be with anyone else, you are the only-"

"Don't start that again, not unless you want another smack in the face." I growled.

"No thanks, one black eye is enough. Besides, you'd wake Ava and she'd tell you off again," he smiled.

"She's too sensible sometimes, it's a little disappointing," I admitted.

"She's a lot like you," I stared at him in disbelief, "Oh no, not the sensible parts, she's stubborn and determined and beautiful," We walked the rest of the way in silence, he stopped outside my house. I unlocked the door and Dimitri walked in, I followed him and was surprised to see Adrian sitting on the couch. I knew giving him a key was a mistake. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Dimitri.

"Adrian," I smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, little dhampir, I heard you had a day off and thought I would come and join you in whatever activities you were taking part in. Unfortunately, it looks like I was beaten to it," he slurred, I frowned, he didn't usually drink if he was going to be around Ava.

"Well, Ava wanted to learn to fight so I took her to the gym and Dimitri was there," I told him, "Anyway, he wasn't stopping, he just carried Ava, I can take her now," I muttered, taking Ava out of Dimitri's arms.

"Right, well, I will see you later," he said, giving me a small smile. He nodded at Adrian and left.

"So, you look like you've had an interesting day so far. Revealed any secrets today have we Rose?" Adrian asked.

"Actually no, I've already told you I'm not telling him about Ava so shut up already," I snapped. I took Ava and lowered her onto her bed. I walked back to the kitchen, grabbed a pack of crisps and then went to sit next to Adrian, "Why are you still here?" I asked.

"Well, the truth is, there's a party tonight and I was wondering if you would do me the very great honour of joining me for a lovely evening with many spoilt Royals like myself," he said pompously.

"I can't, I have Ava," I pointed out.

"I've got a sitter," he smiled.

"I haven't got anything to wear," I said.

"I've got you a dress," his smile grew, I still wasn't convinced, "Lissa will be there," he added.

"Oh, well, who is the sitter?" I asked, nervous over his choice of character.

"Relax, it's only Mia," he revealed.

"Mia? Why isn't she going to the party?" I questioned.

"Because she's huge and can hardly walk," he told me.

"Adrian, she's pregnant," I scolded. We had all been surprised when Mia and Eddie had hooked up, we'd been even more surprised when they got married and revealed they were having a baby.

"So what do you say little dhampir? Fancy a night off?" he asked. I looked at Adrian's face. He looked so hopeful. My morning with Dimitri had made him jealous. The least I could do, after everything Adrian had done for me, was go to a party.

"I'd love to," I smiled with fake enthusiasm.

"Great! I will leave you to enjoy your day off," he said standing abruptly.

"What?" I replied.

"Well, I have to go and get ready, it takes many hours to look this good," he answered.

"But-you promised me a dress," I argued, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Relax, it will be delivered some time before the party," he announced.

"It had better be nice," I shot back.

"Oh, you will love it little dhampir." he smiled,

"You sound very confident," I pointed out.

"I am," he said simply and left. The day dragged. More than once I considered waking Ava just for something to do, but I could never bring myself to do it. She seemed to sleep for ages. It was around 2 when she eventually surfaced. We spent the afternoon practising the moves she'd learnt earlier. We were eating dinner when there was a knock at the door. I left Ava sitting at the table and went to answer it. Mia stood on the doorstep. In all truth, she did look huge! I couldn't remember being _that_ big. I gave her a quick hug.

"Mia! How are you? You look-"

"Fat," she interrupted with a smile. She pointed beside her foot, "This was here when I got here, I was going to pick it up but I can't really bend at the moment," I looked to where she was pointing. There was a big dress box. Though I hate to admit it I started to get excited. I was nervous at the same time, you never knew what to expect when Adrian was involved.

"Come in, Ava is in the kitchen," I told her, once she was in I grabbed the box and followed her through to then kitchen. She was sitting next to Ava at the table.

"-then Mommy hit him on the face and he fell over," she finished with a frown. _Great, looked like everyone was going to hear the story of me punching Dimitri._ Not that they wouldn't guess. He was going to have a nasty black eye.

"Well," Mia said with a smile at me, "That wasn't very welcoming, was it Rose."

"I didn't get my aim right, that's all," I replied innocently.

"Uh-huh," Mia nodded as I opened the box I had placed on the table. I gasped.

It was beautiful. I lifted it out of the box. It was deep red and fell to the floor. Just under the bust there was a intricate pattern encrusted with small diamonds. I couldn't tell what material it was made from but it felt expensive.

"Mommy, why do _you_ have a pretty dress?" Ava asked, looking miffed.

"Well, your Mommy is going out with Uncle Adrian and you and me are going to have loads of fun while she's out," Mia whispered, Ava's face grew into an excited smile.

"I won't go if you don't want me to Ava," I told her.

"No Mommy, Mia is staying, you aren't, so get dressed," she ordered, I smiled and placed a kiss on her cheek.

Getting the dress on was a difficult task. I was terrified I was going to tear it. But eventually it was securely in place and I looked in the mirror. The dress fitted me perfectly. I put my hair down over my bare shoulders. I didn't recognise myself, it had been so long since I'd had the chance to dress up. It reminded me of the times back at the academy, me and Lissa getting ready for different parties. That was before everything had gone wrong. The person I'd been back then was gone and she'd never return.

********

* * *

**Authors Note****: So what do you think? I know a everyone wants Dimitri to find out and I promise he will, very soon! So keep reading! Anyway, its my sisters birthday tomorrow so i don't know if i will get time to write which is why i have done two chapters today. I will try very hard to make some time, even if i have to get up extra early again!**

**Gracii XXX**


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors Note:**** So I know i didn't get around to writing yesterday and I'm so sorry! I actually re-wrote this chapter a few times and I'm still not sure about it. So let me know what you think. **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Adrian and I walked to the opposite side of court where the party was being held. He had been showering me with compliments since he first set eyes on me. He'd also complimented himself on the dress choice.

I immediately started scanning the room for Lissa. I couldn't see her anywhere. Instead I caught sight of Tasha and Dimitri. Tasha was wearing a boring black dress, it would've looked nice on anyone else but her. She smiled and waved at me but didn't come over, _thank god_. I caught Dimitri's eye, I saw him look me over, he clearly liked what he saw. Adrian left to get us drinks and someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned slowly and came face to face with the last person I expected to see. My mother, Janine Hathaway.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, Lord Szelzky is visiting court so obviously I am with him," she replied.

"I meant here, at this party," I stated.

"I came to see you," she flushed, embarrassed.

"Oh, well, hi," I murmured as I pulled her into and awkward hug.

"So, how have you been? Is Ava okay?" she inquired. I blinked, surprised she had asked about Ava. To say my Mom had been angry when she found out I was pregnant would have been a huge understatement, she had yelled at me for almost 2 hours, then refused to talk to me for months. We were on speaking terms now but it was still a bit shaky between us.

"Yeah, we're both good thanks," I looked around for Adrian, _where was he?_ "She had her first training lesson today," I said, turning back to my Mom, "She was actually pretty good,"

She smiled, "Well, of course, she's going to be great, how could she be anything different?"

"Maybe you can, I don't know, come and spend some time with her before you leave? She'd love to see you," I told her.

"I'd like that," she admitted, "I should get back, have a nice evening," she gave me a quick hug and then left. I spent the next half hour looking for Adrian. I was pissed. Who invites someone to a party and then ditches them? I stood at the side of the room, there was still no sign of Lissa. After another 10 minutes Dimitri came and stood beside me.

"Why are you on your own?" he asked, frowning.

"I'm not, I'm with Adrian, he's gone to get us drinks," I replied icily.

"Where is he getting them from? He's been gone almost an hour," Dimitri noted.

"What do you want Dimitri? I'm really not in the mood for this," I muttered turning to look at him.

"You looked like you could do with some company," he told me.

"Yeah? Well I don't, so go back to Tasha," I hissed. At that moment Adrian walked over and threw his arm over my shoulder, I stumbled slightly and pushed him away, "Get off me. Where the hell have you been?" I growled.

"I went to get drinks," he said holding up two empty glasses, "Oh," he put his arm over my shoulder. Dimitri stepped forward and pushed Adrian away.

"What are you doing?" I snapped at him. Adrian looked at me and then Dimitri.

"Oh look who it is, Mr Perfect," He slurred, "How can you love him?" he asked suddenly, "After everything he's done to you?"

"Adrian I-"

"No Rose, you deserve so much better," he interrupted.

"You think you're good enough for her?" Dimitri questioned, stepping closer to Adrian.

"Stop it," I ordered. Adrian looked at me.

"I don't understand Rose, he treats you like you're nothing, he ignores you and you _still_ love him. He sleeps with you and then leaves but you just don't care-"

"Adrian please, lets just leave," I begged, grabbing his arm, this wasn't going to end well. He turned to Dimitri.

"You don't care about her, you just use her, but it doesn't matter because you know she will always take you back. You can lie to her, you can have another woman, you can leave her pregnant with your baby and she'll still always love you," I froze. Dimitri looked at me.

"What did he just say?" he asked, fixing me with a fierce stare.

"Nothing, he's not making any sense, he's drunk," I choked out.

"Is that true?" Dimitri demanded.

"No! He's drunk," I repeated, my eye's filling with tears, _shit, I had to get out of here,_ "I-I need to get back to Ava," I gave Adrian a look of pure hate and ran. I made it to the courtyard and stopped, pulling off my heels, I was about to run again when someone caught my arm and swung me around. I came face to face with Dimitri. He held me in front of him.

"It's true, isn't it?" he asked, his facial expression unreadable.

"No, it's not. Leave me alone," I struggled to get free but he was too strong, he pinned me against the brick wall, "Let me go!" I demanded. This was too familiar. He had held me this way in the cabin, trying to stop me killing Jesse Zeklos when I had taken Lissa's darkness and lost control. Somehow I didn't see this scene ending the same way that one had.

"You're not going anywhere," he said as angry tears fell from my eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'd trusted Adrian, he'd promised to keep my secret, Dimitri was never meant to find out, "Was he telling the truth?" I looked away, "You need to tell me. Is what he said right? Am I Ava's father?" I still couldn't meet his eyes, "Rose-"

"Yes!" I yelled at him, unable to contain it any more, "Yes, it's true. Are you happy now?"

Dimitri's face scrunched up in pain, he let me go, "Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.

"_You were gone_," I hissed, "You left me on my own, I was terrified. What was I meant to do, call you up and say 'Hey Dimitri remember me? Well I'm having your baby.'" The tears kept on coming.

"You should have told me," he said and he turned and walked away. I stood still for a second then I followed him. I grabbed his arm.

"I didn't want to see you ever again," I lied, back then all I wanted was for him to return, "If I told you then you would've came back, and it wouldn't have been for me, it would have been for the baby," I cried, "You didn't deserve to be told anything,"

He looked angry, "That wasn't for you to decide," he growled.

"Yes it was, you decided you didn't want anything to do with me when you left without explaining why," I argued, "You had no right to know anything that happened in my life after that,"

"So you did this to get back at me because I hurt you?" he asked frowning.

"No, of course not, I-I was scared, I didn't know what you would do," I admitted, feeling like a child, Dimitri always made me feel so young.

"_What I'd do?_ I'm not a monster Rose, I would've-" he paused.

"Would've what? What would you have done Dimitri? You were with Tasha. You didn't care about me," I said looking away.

He put a hand under my chin and made me face him, "I always cared about you, I always will," He wiped away my tears then let his hand drop, I took a step back, "Does she know?" he asked.

"What?" I responded, confused.

"Does Ava know who I am?" he questioned again. I looked at him for a few seconds then slowly shook my head.

"No, she wouldn't understand," I said quietly, "I didn't want her to know when you didn't,"

"So, can she know now?" he asked.

"How am I meant to explain it to her, she's just a baby," I told him.

"I want to be in her life Rose, I will be in her life, even if you don't want me in yours," Dimitri promised.

"You can't tell her, she's too young," I replied.

"I don't want her to grow up thinking I just left her without a second thought," he claimed.

"But it was okay for me to think that?" I demanded.

"You know that's not what I meant," he breathed.

"What do you want me to do Dimitri? Tell Ava you're her father, then what? You run off with Tasha again?" I spat her name like it was something dirty.

"I'm not leaving her," he said, "I'll get a guardian post here, at court,"

"I can't do this, I don't want you in her life," I admitted, if he was in her life he would always be in mine, how was I supposed to get over him if he was always around?

"Roza, please, she's my daughter," he begged. I felt the tears fall from my eyes again and I looked down. He took a step closer and tilted my face to his, "Please," he whispered, his face full of anguish. I'd never seen him look so vulnerable. It hurt me to see him in so much pain. I lifted my hand and placed it on his cheek. He leant down and rested his forehead on mine. I tilted my face slightly and my lips met his for just a second then I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him close, he responded, holding me tight.

I had hated Dimitri for so long I'd forgotten how good things had been between us. He'd always made me feel safe, even when we were in danger. Seeing that look on his face just now I realised he truly did love me. He could let his guard down around me, I'd never seen him do that with anyone before.

I don't know how long we stood there holding each other, but his cell phone rang bringing us back to reality, he answered it keeping one arm around me. I saw his expression change.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We'll be right there," he said then hung up the phone. He grabbed my hand and we started to run.

"What's going on?" I demanded.

"There's been a Strigoi attack, 21 Moroi have been killed, they need you at the guardian building," he replied. My heart fell, and I picked up the pace.

When we arrived at the guardian offices it was abuzz with activity. I pulled Dimitri to Guardian Ryan's office, he was basically my boss.

"Dimitri, this is Guardian Thomas Ryan-"

"We can do introductions later Hathaway, we need to get moving, you need to pack a bag," he muttered.

"Er, what?" I said taken aback.

"We are going after the Strigoi." He replied simply.

"We? I can't go, I have a kid," I told him and he fixed me with an angry stare.

"If you value your job then you are going. You can find someone to take care of the child. We need all the guardians we can find," he admitted.

"If Rose is going then so am I," Dimitri insisted.

"If you wish, like I said, we need all the help we can get," Guardian Ryan said. He dismissed us, ordering us to meet him by the cars in 10 minutes, not listening to my arguments. Dimitri called Tasha, telling her to bring his bag to my place, while I made a call to Lissa asking her to meet us there. We made it there in a matter of minutes. Mia was stood with Eddie who was holding Ava in the kitchen.

"We heard about the attack," Eddie told me. Lissa, Tasha and Christian stumbled into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Lissa asked.

"They're sending out a group of guardians to hunt the Strigoi," Dimitri replied.

"Who's going?" Mia asked giving Eddie a worried look.

"Don't worry, Mia, it's not Eddie," I whispered, "Me and Dimitri are in the group,"

Ava had been silent up until that point, "Mommy I don't want you to go," her eyes filled with tears as she struggled out of Eddies hold, I knelt in front of her.

"I have to," the tears spilled down her cheeks, "Please don't cry, I don't have a choice,"

"You do," she sobbed. Lissa had got my bag from my bedroom. I always kept one packed, just in case, though I never thought I would have to use it.

"Please Ava, I need you to be strong," I pleaded.

"I c-can't, please Mommy don't l-leave me," she choked. I'd never seen her this upset. Lissa held Ava by the arm.

"You should go," she told me, "I'll look after her, I promise, just get back safe okay?"

I nodded, "Ava, I'm sorry, I'll be back really soon,"

"I d-don't want y-you to g-go!" she sobbed, struggling against Lissa. Dimitri gave Tasha a quick hug and I kissed Ava on the forehead, after prying her arms from around my neck we left. We ran to the cars and then we were off. Driving out of the Court gates and onto the main road. I couldn't get Ava's tormented face out of my head. A tear ran down my cheek and Dimitri took my hand.

"We should have told her about you," I whispered.

"No, we can tell her if-I mean when I make it back," I looked out of the window. The other guardians were calling what we were doing a suicide mission. There was no way I was going to die doing this, I told myself, I was going to get back to my daughter and then I would never leave her again, "She will forgive you," Dimitri said.

"I promised myself I would never turn out like my own Mom. I promised I would never choose my job over Ava, but that's exactly what I've just done. She'll never forgive me, I never forgave my Mom," I sobbed and Dimitri pulled me close, I leant my head on his shoulder. How was I ever going to make this up to Ava? I hated Dimitri for leaving me but was I really any better than him? I just did exactly the same to my own daughter. Even if she ever forgave me I would never forgive myself. I thought my heart had been broken when Dimitri had left but the pain I had felt back then was nothing compared to the loss I felt now.

* * *

**Authors Note: So what does everyone think? Good? Terrible? Let me know it only takes a second! Also a few people said they wanted this chapter from Dimitri's pov so should i do this chapter again but from his pov? Tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

****

Authors Note: So lots of people wanted the chapter in Dimitri's pov so here it is. I'm not sure how good it is as Dimitri is a really complex character and through out all the books we never really get much insight into how he thinks and feels. Hope you enjoy the chapter. R&R.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

I scanned the hall, wondering how long I would have to stay at this awful gathering. The hum of conversation was not enough to make the silence between me and Tasha comfortable. We had argued that afternoon, I'd confronted her about what she had said to Rose and let's just say she wasn't happy. I saw her wave out of the corner of my eye and turned to see who it was directed at. I suppressed a gasp my jaw dropping.

Rose had entered the hall, looking amazing. She was wearing a deep red dress that hugged the top of her body and then fanned out to the floor. Her shoulders were bare except for her long beautiful hair. Adrian walked in behind her and I felt my fists clench. Why was he still hanging around her. I would've thought he would be bored by now. He left her and I was about to go and talk to her when her mother caught her attention.

I walked around the hall, my eyes never straying far from Rose, how could they when she looked like that. I noticed Adrian hadn't returned and the longer she was on her own the more miserable she looked. I made my way over to her.

"Why are you on your own?" I asked, frowning.

"I'm not, I'm with Adrian, he's gone to get us drinks," She replied, clearly annoyed I'd noticed.

"Where is he getting them from? He's been gone almost an hour," I noted.

"What do you want Dimitri? I'm really not in the mood for this," She muttered turning to look at me, my heart rate picked up.

"You looked like you could do with some company," I told her, honestly, it was me who wanted the company.

"Yeah? Well I don't, so go back to Tasha," She hissed. At that moment Adrian stumbled over and threw his arm over her shoulder, she staggered slightly and pushed him away, "Get off me. Where the hell have you been?" she growled. I tried to keep myself under control.

"I went to get drinks," he said holding up two empty glasses, "Oh," he wrapped his arm around her again and I couldn't help myself, something inside me snapped and I stepped forward and pushed Adrian away.

"What are you doing?" Rose snapped turning on me. Adrian looked from Rose and then to me.

"Oh look who it is, Mr Perfect," He slurred, "How can you love him?" he asked suddenly, "After everything he's done to you?"

"Adrian I-" Rose started.

"No Rose, you deserve so much better," he interrupted.

"You think you're good enough for her?" I questioned, stepping closer to Adrian, the thought was laughable.

"Stop it," Rose ordered. Stepping between us. Adrian looked at Rose.

"I don't understand Rose, he treats you like you're nothing, he ignores you and you _still_ love him. He sleeps with you and then leaves but you just don't care-"

"Adrian please, lets just leave," she begged, grabbing his arm. She looked nervous. I didn't understand why. Maybe she thought there was going to be a fight. Adrian turned on me.

"You don't care about her, you just use her, but it doesn't matter because you know she will always take you back. You can lie to her, you can have another woman, you can leave her pregnant with your baby and she'll still always love you," I saw Rose's body stiffen and I looked at her. Did I just hear that right? What was he taking about? It wasn't possible. Was it?

"What did he just say?" I asked, fixing her with a fierce stare.

"Nothing, he's not making any sense, he's drunk," she choked out, she was lying, I could tell.

"Is that true?" I demanded. My mind was spinning.

"No! He's drunk," she repeated, eye's filling with tears, "I-I need to get back to Ava," she looked at Adrian and then ran. I stood glued to the spot. What the hell had just happened? After a few seconds I made my feet work and followed Rose. She was in the court yard, about to run when I grabbed her by the arm and forced her to face me.

"It's true, isn't it?" I asked, keeping a straight face.

"No, it's not. Leave me alone," she struggled to get free but I was too strong, I needed answers. I spun her round and pinned her against the brick wall, "Let me go!" she demanded through sobs. It hurt me to see her like this. I had caused all of this. How could I have done this to the woman I loved?

"You're not going anywhere," I said quietly, "Was he telling the truth?" she looked away, clearly looking for a way to escape, "You need to tell me. Is what he said right? Am I Ava's father?" I begged and she still didn't meet my eyes, "Rose-"

"Yes!" she screamed at me, her tear soaked face turning to mine, "Yes, it's true. Are you happy now?"

I couldn't keep my guardian face then, I let it down, every inch of my body howling in pain, I let her go. What had I done? "Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered.

"_You were gone_," she hissed at me, "You left me on my own, I was terrified. What was I meant to do, call you up and say 'Hey Dimitri remember me? Well I'm having your baby.'"

"You should have told me," I said and I turned and walked away. I was angry, but not at her, at myself, I couldn't stand to be around her knowing how much hurt I had caused. She had hated me that much she didn't even tell me I'd fathered a child. I only made it a few steps before she grabbed my arm.

"I didn't want to see you ever again," she yelled, "If I told you then you would've came back, and it wouldn't have been for me, it would have been for the baby. You didn't deserve to be told anything,"

"That wasn't for you to decide," he growled, taking my anger out on her.

"Yes it was, you decided you didn't want anything to do with me when you left without explaining why," she argued, "You had no right to know anything that happened in my life after that,"

"So you did this to get back at me because I hurt you?" I asked frowning, I couldn't get my head around any of it.

"No, of course not, I-I was scared, I didn't know what you would do," she muttered, sounding so young. She was scared of what I'd do? She was scared of me? For the first time in years I struggled to hold back tears.

"_What I'd do?_ I'm not a monster Rose, I would've-" I stopped, not knowing how to finish my sentence.

"Would've what? What would you have done Dimitri? You were with Tasha. You didn't care about me," she said looking away, her words hurt me.

I reached out and placed a hand under her chin, forcing her to face me, "I always cared about you, I always will," I wiped the tears away from her cheeks then let my hand drop, she took a step back, "Does she know?" I asked.

"What?" she responded, confused by the sudden change in the conversation.

"Does Ava know who I am?" I questioned again. She looked at me, fear clearly present on her face, a few seconds passed then she slowly shook her head.

"No, she wouldn't understand," she said quietly, "I didn't want her to know when you didn't,"

"So, can she know now?" I asked, trying to think of how we would ever explain this to someone so small, when I could hardly believe it myself.

"How am I meant to explain it to her, she's just a baby," she told me.

"I want to be in her life Rose, I will be in her life, even if you don't want me in yours," I promised, I was going to add that I wanted to be in both of their lives more than anything but thought it best to leave it at that.

"You can't tell her, she's too young," she replied.

"I don't want her to grow up thinking I just left her without a second thought," I answered.

"But it was okay for me too think that?" she demanded.

"You know that's not what I meant," I breathed, pinching the bridge of my nose, I'd forgotten how difficult Rose could be. I'd missed it.

"What do you want me to do Dimitri? Tell Ava you're her father, then what? You run off with Tasha again?" a look of disgust crossed her face when she said Tasha's name.

"I'm not leaving her," I said, quickly weighing up my options, "I'll get a guardian post here, at court,"

"I can't do this, I don't want you in her life," she whispered. I understood then, it wasn't that she didn't want me in Ava's life, it was that she didn't want me in her own. I was causing her pain by just being around, that thought it killed me, but I couldn't leave my child to grow up without a father.

"Roza, please, she's my daughter," I begged. Her tears began to fall again and she looked down. I took a step closer and tilted her face to mine, "Please," I whispered, letting my guard completely fall away. She lifted a hand and placed it on my cheek, the touch made me shiver and I leant down and rested my forehead against hers. She tilted her face slightly and her soft warm lips met mine for just a second then she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close, I responded, holding her as tight as I could without hurting her.

Every second I had been away from her had caused me pain and I could never do it again. I'd thought it was for the best back then, I'd thought she would have a better life without me, but now I saw she had felt the same pain I did. She needed me as much as I needed her.

Eventually my cell phone rang bringing us back to reality, I answered it keeping one arm around Rose, I just couldn't let her go yet. My guardian face snapped back into place at what I was being told on the phone.

"What is it?" Rose asked, sensing the change.

"We'll be right there," I said then hung up the phone. I grabbed Rose by the hand and started to run, pulling her with me.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"There's been a Strigoi attack, 21 Moroi have been killed, they need you at the guardian building," I replied, in full guardian mode, I felt her pick up the pace.

When we arrived at the guardian building Rose pulled me into and office. There was one guardian in the room, he looked up as we entered, blinking at what Rose was wearing.

"Dimitri, this is Guardian Thomas Ryan-"

"We can do introductions later Hathaway, we need to get moving, you need to pack a bag," he muttered.

"Er, what?" she asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

"We are going after the Strigoi." He replied simply.

"We? I can't go, I have a kid," she told him and he fixed her with an angry stare.

"If you value your job then you are going. You can find someone to take care of the child. We need all the guardians we can find," he admitted.

"If Rose is going then so am I," I insisted, there was no way Rose was going without me.

"If you wish, like I said, we need all the help we can get," Guardian Ryan said. He dismissed us, ordering us to meet him by the cars in 10 minutes, Rose tried to argue but he wouldn't listen. I called Tasha, telling her to bring my bag to Rose's place, while Rose made a call to Lissa asking her to meet us there. We made it there in a matter of minutes. All of us gathered in the kitchen.

"We heard about the attack," Eddie told Rose as Lissa, Tasha and Christian stumbled into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Lissa asked.

"They're sending out a group of guardians to hunt the Strigoi," I replied.

"Who's going?" Mia asked giving Eddie a worried look.

"Don't worry, Mia, it's not Eddie," Rose whispered, "Me and Dimitri are in the group,"

"Mommy I don't want you to go," Ava said her eyes filled with tears as she struggled out of Eddies hold, how had I not seen the similarities between us? She had my eyes and her hair was the same shade as mine. Again I held back tears. Seeing her made it all so real, how could I leave for this mission now? Rose knelt in front of her.

"I have to," she said and Ava started to cry, the sight tugged at my heart, "Please don't cry, I don't have a choice,"

"You do," Ava sobbed, as Lissa handed Rose a bag.

"Please Ava, I need you to be strong," Rose begged.

"I c-can't, please Mommy don't l-leave me," she choked. Lissa held Ava by the arm.

"You should go," she said to Rose, tears in her eyes "I'll look after her, I promise, just get back safe okay?"

Rose nodded, "Ava, I'm sorry, I'll be back really soon,"

"I d-don't want y-you to g-go!" she sobbed, struggling against Lissa.

I turned and hugged Tasha, our earlier argument completely forgotten. Her lips pressed into my cheek.

"Come home to me Dimka," she whispered in my ear. I was about to tell her I wouldn't be coming home for her when I saw Rose was ready to go. I wanted to say goodbye to Ava but I didn't think I would be able to leave if I didn't go then. We made it to the cars with time to spare. There were about 20 other guardians about. We went over what would be happening. The Strigoi had apparently attacked an unsuspecting Moroi gathering. They had killed all 21 Moroi and all but one of the guardians. The surviving guardian had been following them since. The drive would take until nightfall so we would have to wait until it was light again, which would mean checking into a hotel.

As we drove out of the front gates I noticed Rose was crying. I took her hand.

"We should have told her about you," she whispered to me.

"No, we can tell her if-I mean when I make it back," I corrected myself, the truth was I didn't want to tell her the truth unless I was sure I was going to survive this journey and right now, it wasn't looking good. I promised myself I would make sure Rose made it home, even if it was the last thing I would ever do, even if it meant sacrificing myself.

I turned to Rose, "She will forgive you," I said.

"I promised myself I would never turn out like my own Mom. I promised I would never choose my job over Ava, but that's exactly what I've just done. She'll never forgive me, I never forgave my Mom," she sobbed and I pulled her close, she didn't fight me she just leant her head on my shoulder. I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt. I rubbed her arm, she was cold in her dress.

The drive dragged, Rose slept for a while but not long. We got to the hotel as the sun was setting. The other guardians made their way up to the front desk to book rooms. We had all been up for about 24 hours and would need sleep if we wanted to survive the battle tomorrow. I made to follow but Rose caught my arm.

"What is it?" I asked, she looked nervous.

"I don't want to be on my own," she admitted, "Can we share a room?"

I looked at her, "Er, yeah, of course."

We got to the room. There was only one bed. Rose turned to me.

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" she asked.

I shook my head and she walked off into the bathroom. I looked around the room. There was a small sofa, it wasn't big enough for me to sleep on though so I took some of the pillows off the bed and grabbed one of the blankets and made myself a bed on the floor. When Rose came back into the room she looked at my makeshift bed and smirked.

"You don't have to sleep down there," she said.

"No it's fine, I don't mind," I replied. She got into bed and after turning off the light I got into mine. I turned onto my side and waited for sleep to take me but with everything that had happened it seemed impossible. After a while I heard Rose get out of bed. She laid down beside me and I turned to face her. She reached up and stroked my face, her eyes fixed on mine, she moved closer, I could feel her breath on my face. She shifted herself slightly and pulled my face to hers and our lips met.

* * *

**Authors Note: ****So what does everyone think? Let me know, I love reading all your comments. xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hey guys, I'm really really sorry, it has been ages since i updated. My computer broke. I know i could have cried! I've had this story in my head for ages now. I know this chapter is really short i just dont have time to write a long one today and thought you guys would rather have a little bit of the story instead of nothing. I know its not my best writing and i just wasn't sure how to write the battle scene. Review and tell me what you think.**

**Chapter 8**

His lips moved against mine as I hooked my leg over his waist and shifted my weight so I was on top of him. I deepened the kiss, gripping his hair. I paused and pulled my top over my head, throwing it to the floor.

"Rose wait," Dimitri said breathing heavily, my mouth met his again. He pushed my shoulders back and slid out from underneath me, "Stop," he frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked confused.

"This isn't right, you're upset and scared, It doesn't feel-"

"I'm not scared, I want to do this-" I said moving closer to him, he held out his hand.

"Rose, I'm sorry but I can't." Dimitri told me.

Rejection washed over me, "You don't want me?" I couldn't help the tears that filled my eyes.

"Of course I do, you're the love of my life. I just- this doesn't feel right," tears spilled down my cheeks, "Please don't cry Roza," he said wiping away my tears, I pushed his hand away and stormed back to my bed. A few moments later he joined me, pulling me into a hug. I struggled against him but he didn't budge.

"Get off me Dimitri," I sobbed.

"Ah, Roza," Dimitri sighed, turning me to face him. His hand brushed the hair off my face, "You are the most dangerous being I know," he smiled pulling my face to his. The kiss was different now. It was determined and passionate. Dimitri ripped off his shirt as I struggled out of my sweatpants. He pulled my top over my head and it joined the other scattered clothes on the floor. In no time at all we were both naked. I could feel his entire weight on top of me. I had missed the feeling of his skin. He pulled back and looked me in the eyes, his face portraying nothing but love as our bodies fit together as though they had be made for each other.

Afterwards we lay close, my head rested on his chest, "Roza?" Dimitri whispered.

I pulled back to look at him, "Yeah?"

"I love you," he smiled.

"I love you too," I replied.

I didn't get much sleep that night. Every time I tried my thoughts strayed back to Ava and how scared she must me. I was her mother, I was meant to protect her from this sort of thing, not just leave her on her own.

The morning eventually came. Dimitri and I both got dressed in our battle clothes. Before we left the room he took my face in his hands.

"Be careful Roza," he whispered passionately.

"I always am comrade," I smiled.

"I mean it, I will not live without you," he frowned.

"You won't have to, we are both going to make it through this," I replied, pulling his face to mine and placing a gentle kiss on his perfect lips.

The hour long journey seemed to fly by. Before I knew it we were surrounding the run down house. Four guardians entered before me and Dimitri. Just seconds after they had gone through the door I heard bangs and screaming. Dimitri gripped my hand quickly then entered the house I followed. Inside the house was in ruins. The walls were knocked through and there were battles being fought all over the place.

A Strigoi swooped towards us but Dimitri was just as fast and nearly as strong, in an instant he had his stake in his hand and he collided with the Strigoi. They were locked in battle and the Strigoi managed to block Dimitri's first attempt, but not his second, his hand snaked out, plunging the stake into the Strigoi's heart. It's horrible red eyes widened in shock and then he crumpled to the ground.

Two more Strigoi advanced on me, obviously choosing the target they thought would be the easy kill. One of them slammed me into the wall, my vision blurred for half a second but I recovered quickly. I shoved her away and she staggered. I caught a glimpse of Dimitri, he was battling three at once. A male reached for me, I dodged his attack in time, slipping out of his grasp. I pretended to go for him but struck her instead, my stake bit into her heart. The male froze in shock for a second giving me the chance to catch him by surprise and stake him.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw another Strigoi advance on Dimitri, he was losing his battle. A Strigoi flung him to the floor and in a second his mouth was at Dimitri's neck. Without thinking I shot forward, I staked the Strigoi on top of Dimitri.

"You looked like you needed a hand comrade," I said turning to battle the remaining Strigoi's. In an instant Dimitri was on his feet and had staked two.

I was battling a female when Dimitri screamed my name. I turned but wasn't fast enough, the Strigoi struck the side of my head and everything went black.

I was aware of someone crying my name. I opened my eyes. Dimitri's face swam before me. We weren't in the house any more. We were moving.

"Dimitri-" I whispered.

"Roza," he stroked my face, "Roza stay with me, please stay with me,"

"Dimitri, look after Ava for me, keep her safe," I chocked, I could taste blood in my mouth.

"Shh, Roza you need to rest, you're going to be fine," he cried.

I grabbed the front of his shirt, "Dimitri, please, promise me you'll never leave her," I struggled.

"Roza, I promise, we will never leave her, just rest now," he whispered, I could see tears in his eyes. I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.

**AN: Tell me what you think. xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, I'm so glad you guy haven't given up on me. I hope you like the new chapter and enjoy the Flashback! Review please.**

**Chapter 9**

The journey back to court seemed to take forever. More than once I shouted at the driver to move faster. Roza didn't open her eyes once. Her breathing was shallow and her hair was wet with blood. This was my fault. I couldn't get to her quick enough. I had been fighting 2 Strigoi myself and one had managed to catch Rose by surprise. I had tried to warn her but she didn't have enough time to defend herself. The Strigoi had struck out and hit Rose.

As soon as we pulled into court the princess, Christian and Adrian came running to meet us. We lifted Rose out of the car and the princess laid her hands gently on Rose face. After a few moments she let out a breath and Christian stepped forward to support her weight. Healing Rose had clearly taken a lot of energy.

We took Rose to the infirmary and I sat beside her bed. Her breathing looked stronger but her eyes were still closed. The doctor examined her and said we would just have to wait for her to wake up. I was holding her hand when the door was thrown open and Ava came running in. Her beautiful little face was wet with tears. She climbed onto the bed and shook Rose.

"Mommy? Mommy wake up," she sobbed. I picked her up and she snuggled close to me. Her head rested on my shoulder as we both sat and waited for the person we loved more than anything in the world to come back to us.

**RPOV**

It had been a few weeks since Dimitri had left and I wasn't really having an easy time of it. I had been trying to pretend like everything was normal, which by the way was nearly impossible, but now to top it all off I was ill. It was very uncommon for a Dhampir to become sick, that just made this even more annoying. I was in bed when there was knocking at my door. I made my way unsteadily to the door and opened it. Lissa stood looking at me with a frown.

"What are you doing? You've missed two classes, why aren't you dressed?" she asked.

I walked back to my bed. Lissa followed, shutting the door behind her, "I'm not feeling well," I told her.

"What?" I felt her start to worry through the bond.

"Don't panic Liss, it's probably just a bug," I muttered, wishing I could go back to sleep and just not wake up.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't you? It's the truth," I replied.

"Rose you've been weird for weeks now. Tell me what's going on," she demanded.

"Nothing is going on. Like I said, it's just a bug. I'll be fine later," I said.

"Okay then, get dressed and go to class. It's either class or the infirmary," she smiled.

"Fine, I'll get dressed," I mumbled.

Ten minutes later we were walking down the corridor. I didn't tell Lissa but everything was spinning and I felt like I was going to be sick at any minute. She was talking but I couldn't take in anything she was saying. When everything started going black I leant against the wall. Lissa was at my side.

"Rose? Hey, are you okay? Rose!" her voice was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

I woke up to familiar surroundings, after all I had spent a lot of time in the infirmary. Lissa was beside my bed.

"Oh thank God you're awake. Do you have any idea how much you scared me?" she hissed at me.

"Sorry," I whispered, pulling myself into a sitting position, "What happened?" I asked.

"You collapsed. So much for being fine Rose," she frowned at me as Dr Olendzki walked up to us.

"I was wondering if I could speak to Rose?" Dr Olendzki asked Lissa. _Oh, this can't be good._

Lissa looked like she wanted to argue but thought better of it, "Sure, I'll be outside," she said as she left.

Dr Olendzki sat on the edge of my bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asked kindly.

"Er, fine I guess," I mumbled.

"Rose, do you know why you collapsed today?" she questioned.

"I just hadn't eaten in a while, I was feeling a bit, you know," the look she was giving me made me nervous, "I've got this bug and I just-"

"It's not a bug Rose," she paused, "You're pregnant,"

I laughed, "This is a joke right? I mean you can't be serious?"

"I'm being serious, in fact this is very serious," she said.

"I can't be pregnant," I replied, starting to panic, "It's just not possible, you must have got it wrong,"

"I'm afraid not, Rose do you want to tell me how this happened?" she asked.

"I don't- It was-" I stammered. _What could I say? If I told them I'd only been with a Dhampir they'd think I was crazy. How was this even possible? I decided I would have to lie until I figured it all out, _"It was a mistake, a one night stand," I whispered, _technically it was true. Me and Dimitri had only been together that one time in the cabin._

"Well, obviously things are going to change now, the teachers will have to be informed, you won't be able to train-" I cut her off.

"I can't stop training, I need to graduate, I need to be Lissa's guardian, this can't be happening- I can't believe this-" I couldn't stop the tears that fell from my eyes.

How had everything gone so wrong? A few weeks ago I had everything I could have wanted. I was on schedule to graduate and become a brilliant guardian. I had a best friend who I would get to spend everyday protecting and a man I loved more than I ever thought possible. Now I was going to lose everything I'd ever worked towards and gain a baby.

"You need to calm down Rose, I'm going to bring Lissa back in," Dr Olendzki told me.

"No, you can't, you can't tell her, please?" I begged.

"You need your friends," she disagreed and let Lissa in anyway. After taking one look at my face Lissa ran up and threw her arms around me.

"Rose? What's wrong?" she asked, panic in her voice.

"I-I'm pr-pregnant," I sobbed.

"What? I don't understand? You can't be pregnant, Rose?" Lissa frowned. She clearly thought i was crazy.

"It w-was a mistake, I didn't think- I just-" I couldn't get my words out.

"Who is the father?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," I muttered.

"Yes it does, who is it?" she demanded.

"Just drop it, Lissa, I don't want to talk about him," more tears fell off my cheeks.

"Okay, we won't talk about him, I promise," a smile formed on her face, "You're going to have a baby Rose,"

After that I had gotten used to the idea of being a Mom. In fact I was excited. The months of my pregnancy passed quickly. I was living at court when I went into labour. After 16 hours of pain and then pushing I had my beautiful baby girl. It only took one look at her and I knew I would never love anyone more than her. But still I couldn't hold back the tears that fell. This wasn't how it was supposed to be when you had a baby. Dimitri should be here. He should be here to see his child come into the world.

**DPOV**

I don't know how much time had passed since we arrived back at court. Ava slept on my lap. It was a relief when she fell asleep. I didn't know how to deal with a scared child. Even if it was my child. It seemed funny that I chose a living fighting monsters and yet I was afraid of my own child.

It was just me and Ava with Rose now. The princess was weak and needed rest. It had taken a while to convince her to leave. I shifted in my seat slightly and Ava woke up. She rubbed her eyes with her tiny fists.

"You look bad," she told me.

I gave her a sad smile, "I know,"

She quickly hopped off my lap and climbed onto the bed next to Rose. She laid next to her and whispered something to Rose, something I couldn't quite hear.

**RPOV**

Over the memory I heard something. Something familiar. A tiny voice reached me in the darkness.

"Mommy? Daddy needs you," it whispered.

Using all the strength I had in me I wrenched my eyes open.

**AN: So what do you guys think? Hope it wasn't too confusing! Review and tell me what you think. xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: So again, I'm really sorry this has taken so long to be updated but i have just got a new job that is taking up all my time :(**

**I also didn't know where to go with this story and i didn't want to bore you all with lots of chapters that wouldn't be worth reading.**

**So I think this is going to be it for this story. I just feel like I could do a lot better with a completely new story. I have got lots of ideas.**

**I was maybe thinking about sticking with Ava. Like maybe I could skip forward a few years and she could be the main focus. **

**Tell me what you guys think.**

**Enjoy and Review Please!  
**

**Chapter 10**

I blinked and my tiny daughter came into view. She smiled and hugged me tight.

"Have you had enough sleep now Mommy?" she grinned.

"Definitely, I missed you baby," I replied, hiding my tears. I had come so close to losing her.

Dimitri was at my bedside. His face never failed to stun me, his perfect lips and gorgeous eyes full of relief. Without hesitating he walked forward and pressed his lips firmly to mine, not caring who saw.

"Are we a family now?" Ava asked, looking from me to Dimitri and back.

I frowned at her, "Okay little miss, who have you been talking to?" I demanded.

"I asked Uncle Adrian," she said guiltily, looking to Dimitri, "he told me you were my Daddy."

Dimitri looked worried, he met my eyes and I nodded.

"Well, do you want me to be your Daddy?" he questioned, suddenly looking more worried.

"I've never had a Daddy before," she smiled.

How could it be this easy? All that time I spent worrying about how Dimitri would react to Ava and how she would feel towards him had been pointless. I couldn't help but feel guilty. He had missed so much because of me. I would never be able to make it up to him but I would spend the rest of my life trying.

At that very moment I realised this was what I had always wanted. I had lived my life thinking my dream was to be a guardian but I was wrong. The only thing I would ever want or need was my little family. The one thing I never had when I was a child, a happy family. My baby was going to have that. I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes.

"Mommy? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Ava demanded.

"No, I'm fine baby. Mommy's just very happy," I smiled at Dimitri and kissed him just as the door opened and Lissa, Christian and Adrian walked in.

"Well finally," Lissa muttered, "You two took your time didn't you?"

"Nice to see you too Liss," I smiled, she threw her arms around me.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," she whispered.

"I won't, thanks for making me better," I replied.

"Well I was hardly going to leave you to heal on your own, you took long enough with my help. There are more important things for you to do," Lissa told me.

"Oh yeah?" I said, "What am I missing?"

"Rose!" she scolded, "It is my wedding day in 5 weeks and 3 days, we have a lot to do. While you have been lazing around doing nothing I have been trying to plan the most important day of our lives,"

"Excuse me, I had been knocked out!" I laughed.

"It's okay Rose, I forgive you," she smiled.

"Oi, Fireboy, control your woman will you?" I muttered.

"Come on Rose, we both know no one can control Lissa, especially when the wedding is involved," he smirked.

Adrian moved back towards the door.

"Hey!" I shouted, "Who said you could leave?"

He turned back, "You talking to me little dhampir?"

"Obviously, everyone else is still huddled around my bed giving me lots of attention, what makes you think you can get of lightly?" I smiled.

"I wish I could stay, but I kind of have-" he paused, looking for the right words, "a friend...waiting for me,"

"Oh. Well okay then. I'll let you off this time but you had better not forget you owe me...big time." I raised my eyebrows, letting him know I hadn't forgotten him telling Dimitri about Ava or Ava about Dimitri. It was hard to be mad, he had fixed everything and I was glad he had found someone, though with Adrian you never knew how long the relationship would last.

"I won't forget, I will see you all tomorrow," he replied closing the door behind him.

I didn't want to jinx things but I couldn't help but thank god that things were all working out, I was alive, I had my amazing little family, Adrian had found someone to be with and Lissa and Christian were happier than I had ever seen them. For the first time in a long time I didn't feel worried about where I was heading or where the future might take me. For once in my life things seemed simple and easy, as long as I had my family, everything would be okay.

**AN: So what does everyone think? I know it was a really short ending and i probably could've done better with it but i just wanted to get it done and out of the way. I thought you guys would prefer me to end the story rather than just start a new one so i did the best i could. Tell me what you think and if you would like more of Ava!**


End file.
